Amaranth & its powerful secrets - Healthy Forkful (2024)

Amaranth is a seed-grain that I came across in different magazines and blogs in the last couple ofyears. It isconsidered one of the latest trend after quinoa, the new seed thatsupport our health and save us from a sick gut. It has all the requirements to be a superfood, it is an ancient seed, gluten free, a source of complete protein, high in vitamins and mineral.

Here in Spain is not very popular yet and a bitdifficult to find, you need to go to special health food stores, organic markets or of course you could buy it online. I actually have had a bag of amaranth for few months in my cupboard and wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I decided to give it a try. And now I’m blaming myself why I didn’t try it before!!

Amaranth has a delicious malty, slightly nutty flavor and is highly nutritious. It’s especially helpful for those who follow a vegandiet because like said before, it contains all essential amino acid, making it a complete protein. Also amaranth is very high in calcium, it contains even more than traditional milk and because it has magnesium and silicon too, the calcium found in this seed is highly absorbable. Another great quality is its high amount of fiber, which helps you control hunger and make you feel satiated.

But now lets talk about the fun part. How can we cook and eat amaranth!!

Like all grains, it’s best to soak itbefore cooking for at least 8 hours, this allows grainsto release its inherent nutrients, making it also more digestible. But don’t worry it is not a vital step, so if you are in a hurry or dying for a plate of grains, just go for it without the soaking, but it’s a good tip to get the highest amount ofnutrition from grains and seeds.

Amaranth can be consumed boiled or popped, in sweet or savory dishes, by itself or mixed with other grains. My favourite ways to have it until noware:

Cooked like a porridge. It takes a bit longer than the traditional oat porridge, but it’s still easy, super delicious and it leave me full for all morning, so full that I wasn’t even hungry for lunch 😅. Cook it with your favourite milk and top it with any kind of fruit or compote, my favourite lately is the one with figs and rosewater.

Pancakes areanother easy way to consume amaranth, you can grind the seeds in a grain mill or coffee grinder and make your own amaranth flour. They are super fun to make and a great gluten free option.

Soup and stew’s season is on, and of course you can add amaranth to them. Just a couple of tablespoons are enough to pump up the nutrients of the dish. Choose a homemade stock for a simple consome or add it to any winter stew you have in mind.

Give it a try, experiment with amaranth and let me know! I would like to see what you come up so don’t forget to tag #healthyforkful on Instagram or just leave a comment below 🙂

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